Primo protein takes the spotlight at Eat at Billy’s, the new sandwich shop from one of Brisbane’s best butchers
At the time of writing, Eat at Billy’s has been open for five days. During that span, sandwich lovers have swooped in and cleaned house – some returning every day until they had devoured the whole range, with most options selling out well before close. But what do you expect when a butcher with the calibre and reputation of Meat at Billy’s expands its interests to the sandwich game? Open now down at Rosalie Village, Eat at Billy’s is showcasing some of the butcher’s best proteins in sandwich form – think fantastic fried-chicken sambos, stellar steak sangas and riffs on the iconic Reuben. Our recommendation? There’s no wrong choice. Just come early and come hungry.
To put it succinctly, Eat at Billy’s is a sandwich shop operated by a butcher. Not just any butcher, mind you – one of the very best in Brisbane. This means that Eat at Billy’s isn’t just any sandwich shop, but a new breed of dispensary.
Billy Gibney, owner and namesake of Meat at Billy’s, has harboured a simmering passion for sandwich making for years. He’s been known to whip up sangas for his butchery team to devour while on smoko, drawing upon the plethora of top-notch protein at his disposal to craft some seriously decadent stacks. The decision to parlay this passion into a permanent concept emerged around the same time that Meat at Billy’s expanded to Rosalie Village.
Initially setting up shop in a tiny nook next to Halims Indian Taj Restaurant, Meat at Billy’s Rosalie eventually shifted to bigger (and fancier) digs next door, leaving its now-vacant kiosk home ripe and ready for a sambo-slinging set-up. Eat at Billy’s is a frills-free operation – the old grungy black-and-white tiling remains, with a scattering of tables suitable to dine in and a roller window giving guests a direct view into the cosy confines of the kitchen. As for the offering itself, Billy embarked on a pilgrimage to Melbourne, visiting vaunted institutions such as Hector’s Deli and Nico’s for inspiration. In the end, though, Billy saw an avenue to stand apart from his inspirations and peers – it all came down to meat, of which Billy had plenty.
“The one thing I noticed of places here in Brisbane and in Melbourne was the meat wasn’t as generous as what we can do,” says Billy. “That’s always going to be my signature. We really want to showcase the meat and have a generous portion per serving. We’re a bit lucky – being a butcher we can be a bit more giving, so to speak.”
The current Eat at Billy’s range is concise, with four sandwiches available alongside some extras.
“Obviously the sandwich trend is huge now, but we’re jumping in with own perspective,” says Billy of the range. “The easiest way to describe that is this is what a butcher would put between two pieces of bread.”
The debut selection features riffs on familiar staples, with choice cuts enhanced by sauces and garnishes all made in house. The Red Neck is a southern-fried chicken sandwich boasting crispy Elgin Valley free-range chicken tenders (seasoned with a little ‘special something’), Eat at Billy’s own confit-garlic aioli and shredded iceberg lettuce. Fans of a classic steak sandwich will no doubt gravitate to The Butcher – a beefy number featuring 150-g of Cape Grim grass-fed rump steak, caramelised onions, rocket and cheese sauce.
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The Big Paulie is a creation of Eat at Billy’s head chef David Aron, which sees 150-g of carved Berkshire pork belly porchetta sandwiched with crispy crackling, salsa verde, pickled red onions, rocket and confit-garlic mayo to drool-worthy results. The final sandwich on the list is already one of the most popular – it’s called Not A F*$&en Rueben, and it’s one saucy sambo. Looking to bring the classic Reuben back to its meat-centric roots, Billy is piling slice after slice of wood-smoked wagyu brisket (cooked for four hours until it reaches melt-in-your-mouth tenderness) along with red cheddar, pickles and a drippy dollop of Eat at Billy’s signature sauce. Each sandwich is built on slices of white bread (lightly toasted on one side, fresh and fluffy on the other), supplied by a baker that Billy is keeping secret.
“The amount of testing I’ve done on butchers, friends and family, everyone just likes thick-cut, fresh white bread,” say Billy. “It is the blanket for what we are doing inside – it just holds everything in and doesn’t fall apart.”
With plenty of sandwich ideas banked up in the old mental archive, the Eat at Billy’s team will eventually shake up the menu on a rotational basis – whichever item slows down in sales gets bumped off in favour of an exciting new option. Sides such as hot chips, chicken tenders and a 150-g serve of pastrami are available for those with some gaps to fill, while beer, wines and sodas are on hand to help wash everything down.
Eat at Billy’s is open to the public from Monday to Friday – head to The Directory for operating hours and contact details.